▷ (Urgent) Director of Technology (Polymer)

Director of Polymer Technology Location: Pune, India Experience: 12-15 years Minimum 5 years in senior leadership About Zerocircle Zerocircle is reimagining the material world. We create next-generation packaging and coatings from seaweed and other regenerative natural sources - designed for performance, affordability, and real industry adoption. Our work replaces conventional plastics with materials that are truly ocean-safe, compostable, and scalable for global impact. We're looking for a Director of Polymer Technology - a visionary technologist with the hands-on rigor of a scientist and the leadership instincts of a builder - to lead our material innovation program from lab discovery to industrial deployment. What You'll Do - Lead Advanced Polymer R&D: Oversee the formulation, synthesis, and characterization of new materials derived from natural polymers, with a focus on mechanical strength, moisture resistance, and sealability. - Drive Scale-Up and Tech Transfer: Translate lab-scale breakthroughs into scalable, commercially viable manufacturing processes. Establish process controls, documentation, and validation protocols. - Integrate Chemistry and Engineering: Bridge bench chemistry with process engineering to ensure reproducibility, performance consistency, and manufacturability. - Guide and Mentor a High-Performing Team: Lead a diverse team of scientists, chemists, and PhDs across material science, biopolymers, and packaging. Build an innovation culture grounded in rigor, curiosity, and shared purpose. - Collaborate Cross-Functionally: Partner with design, sustainability, and business teams to align R&D direction with product and market goals. - Own External Collaborations: Liaise with research institutions, technical partners, and manufacturing collaborators to accelerate development timelines. - Establish Global Standards: Build a materials roadmap that positions Zerocircle at the forefront of bio-based technology, with clear technical benchmarks for performance, circularity, and compliance. Who You Are - Scientist to Builder: You began your journey in the lab - with a strong grounding in polymer chemistry, formulation, and testing - and evolved into a leader who drives engineering execution and technology transfer. - Natural Polymer Expert: Deep experience with polysaccharides, proteins, gums, or other natural polymer systems, including modification, blending, and film/coating development. - Scale-Up Proven: Demonstrated success in taking material innovations from concept (0) to production (1), ideally in bio-based packaging, coatings, or advanced materials. - Engineering-Fluent: Strong understanding of pilot-scale and industrial-scale process design, including drying, extrusion, coating, and film casting technologies. - Leadership-Driven: At least 5 years leading technical teams - with a track record of motivating scientists to achieve at the intersection of purpose and performance. - Mission-Led: You believe material innovation can drive environmental restoration and want your work to create measurable, global impact. Why Zerocircle You'll be part of a company redefining what's possible with nature-based materials - where the lab connects directly to the ocean, and every formulation has a purpose beyond performance. You'll build not just materials, but the foundation of a new material economy.